Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T20:23:27.116Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Kinematics of Molecules at the Galactic Centre

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2015

B. J. Robinson
B. J. Robinson*
Affiliation:
Division of Radiophysics, CSIRO, Sydney, Australia

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Dense gas clouds containing OH, CO, NH3 and H2CO are found in the inner part of the H1 nuclear disk. The molecular spectral lines allow direct observations of the kinematics of the gas near the galactic centre. Strong absorption of the thermal continuum sources by OH and H2CO shows that much of the gas on the near side of the centre can be located in a massive ‘ring’ expanding at 130 km s-1 which may have originated close to the nucleus about 106yr ago. Observations of CO emission from beyond the centre show that the far side of the ‘ring’ is expanding at a lower velocity, less than 90 km s-1. Observations of CO and NH3 emission with positive velocities for l < 360° are needed to establish whether the ‘ring’ is a continuous structure.

OH and H2CO are also observed to be falling towards the centre. There is no agreement as to the location of this infalling matter.

The nuclear regions of the Galaxy are compared with those of NGC 253, particularly in regard to expansional velocities, IR and radio emission, and OH absorption.

Type
Part 5: The Galactic Center
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 60: Galactic Radio Astronomy , 1974 , pp. 521 - 535
Copyright
Copyright © Reidel 1974 

References

Becklin, E. E. and Neugebauer, G.: 1968, Astrophys. J. 151, 145.Google Scholar
Becklin, E. E., Fomalont, E. B., and Neugebauer, G.: 1973, Astrophys. J. Letters 181, L27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Demoulin, M. H. and Burbidge, E. M.: 1970, Astrophys. J. 159, 799.Google Scholar
Gardner, F. F. and Whiteoak, J. B.: 1970, Astrophys. Letters 5, 161.Google Scholar
Hoffmann, W. F., Frederick, C. L., and Emery, R. L.: 1971, Astrophys. J. Letters 164, L23.Google Scholar
Kaifu, N., Iguchi, T., and Kato, T.: 1974, Publ. Astron. Soc. Japan 26, 117.Google Scholar
Kaifu, N., Kato, T., and Iguchi, T.: 1972, Nature 238, 105.Google Scholar
Knowles, S. H. and Cheung, A. C.: 1971, Astrophys. J. Letters 164, L19.Google Scholar
McGee, R. X.: 1970, Australian J. Phys. 23, 541.Google Scholar
McGee, R. X., Brooks, J. W., Sinclair, M. W., and Batchelor, R. A.: 1970, Australian J. Phys. 23, 777.Google Scholar
Oort, J. H.: 1971, in O'Connell, D. J. K. (ed.), Nuclei of Galaxies, Pontificiae Academiae Scientiarum Scripta Varia, North-Holland Publishing Co., Amsterdam, p. 321.Google Scholar
Robinson, B. J. and McGee, R. X.: 1970, Australian J. Phys. 23, 405.Google Scholar
Robinson, B. J., Goss, W. M., and Manchester, R. N.: 1970, Australian J. Phys. 23, 363.Google Scholar
Rougoor, G. W.: 1964, Bull. Astron. Inst. Neth. 17, 381.Google Scholar
Rubin, V. C. and Ford, W. K.: 1970, Astrophys. J. 159, 379.Google Scholar
Sandage, A. R., Becklin, E. E., and Neugebauer, G.: 1969, Astrophys. J. 157, 55.Google Scholar
Sanders, R. H. and Lowinger, T. L.: 1972, Astron. J. 77, 292.Google Scholar
Sanders, R. H. and Wrixon, G. T.: 1973, Astron. Astrophys. 26, 365.Google Scholar
Scoville, N. Z.: 1972, Astrophys. J. Letters 175, L127.Google Scholar
Scoville, N. Z. and Solomon, P. M.: 1973, Astrophys. J. 180, 55.Google Scholar
Scoville, N. Z., Solomon, P. M., and Thaddeus, P.: 1972, Astrophys. J. 172, 335.Google Scholar
Solomon, P. M., Scoville, N. Z., Jefferts, K. B., Penzias, A. A., and Wilson, R. W.: 1972, Astrophys. J. 178, 125.Google Scholar
Whiteoak, J. B. and Gardner, F. F.: 1974, Astrophys. Letters, in press; Nature 247, 526.Google Scholar